My most memorable adventures have always begun where the trail ended. There was the time in the Catskills when I veered off a well-beaten path in search of a shortcut to the high peaks. Two hours of bushwhacking later, I stumbled across a swimming ho

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Believe it or not, our most beloved trails and backcountry sites have changed a lot in the past five decades. In the 1970s, hiking paths were poorly maintained, the only “influencer” was Smokey Bear, and litter and vandalism were common. (Leave No Tr

For 50 years, Backpacker’s covers have graced newsstands—unfortunately, some haven’t aged as well as others. These four deserve a do-over. Oct. ’76 TFW you’re not quite ready to be photographed and it ends up on the cover Sep. ’99 The Ultimate Ultral

ON A MUGGY GEORGIA MORNING in July, a small group of hikers huddle around a log by the side of a trail. Underneath sprouts a solitary mushroom. It looks a lot like ones I’ve eaten before in fancy restaurants, with a thin top and a fanned underside. B

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Better backpacking gear is the key to going farther and faster, and to feeling more comfortable while pushing those boundaries. The very best gear is worthy of obsession, with the chops to completely change the way you play in the wild, and, in some

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IN MY DECADE or so of outdoor adventuring as an adult, I’ve come to the conclusion that my most memorable outdoor trips leave me frustrated. Not because I’m disappointed in the experience, but because I’m bummed that I couldn’t explore more of whatev

An old timer with a scruffy white beard under a Royal Canadian Navy hat stood in the back of the line with a toothpick protruding from the grin on his face. He watched our group of four backpackers buying last-minute candy bars at the Pacheedaht Camp

*** We re-created three DIY projects from the Backpacker archive. Plus: setting the record straight on some questionable advice we’ve given over the years. ■

IF I DIDN’T KNOW ANY BETTER, you could’ve convinced me I was standing on a floating ice chunk somewhere in the Arctic Ocean. The setting sun cast a glow on the horizon that, despite the subzero temperatures, painted everything a warm orange. Just mom

Eighty percent: That’s the amount of states’ wildlife conservation budgets that comes from hunting- and fishing-related fees, including licenses and taxes on gear. Unfortunately, the number of people who do those activities has been declining for yea

When the first issue of Backpacker debuted in the spring of 1973, William Kemsley had a simple goal: to teach people how to take care of the trail. America’s wilderness areas were experiencing the greatest surge in visitation in the nation’s history,

At the top of British Columbia’s Tin Hat Mountain, the 360-degree panorama looks uncannily like Tolkien’s Middle Earth: Below me spread deep-cut fjords and hazy lakes, velvety mountains and densely forested foothills. A hobbit wouldn’t seem out of pl

Summer is the season of big hikes—the quit-your-job kind of hikes; the bucket list treks you blow all your savings on but never regret; the everyone-says-I-can’t-but-I’ll-do-it-anyway journeys. Hikes like the Appalachian Trail, the Continental Divide

In his documentary series “The National Parks,” filmmaker Ken Burns extolled the populist nature of what he refers to as “America’s Best Idea”—the fact that those amazing federal lands are available to people from all walks of life. But what about th

RAB KINETIC ULTRA $200 | 10 oz. (m’s M) The Kinetic Ultra is the ideal jacket for anyone who wants the stretch and breathability of a softshell and the protection of a hardshell. Its PU-coated, threelayer recycled polyester knit feels more like a sof

Backpackers cannot survive on freeze-dried meals alone. OK, you probably can, but if you don’t want to spend every trip picking from someone else’s menu, it’s time to invest in a dehydrator. These devices, which retail from $40 to over $400, help you

THE RANGER AT THE GRAND CANYON VISITORS CENTER eyed me with suspicion. It was Valentines Day, and I was about to (temporarily) ditch my wife and plunge over the edge of Americas most renowned chasm. He wanted to save my wife from a real bummer of a r

$219 | 10.2 oz. (w’s M) men’s S-XXL, women’s XS-XL OVERALL 4.7 We were able to keep this truly aerobic softshell on through an 8-mile trail run on a windy, 50°F spring day in the Tetons (usually we dump a jacket in the first two miles). Breathability

These trails take you from the slopes of Mt. Rainier to the summit of Mt. Katahdin, wandering through the best wildflower blooms in the country and Alaska’s calving tidewater glaciers on the way. UINTA-WASATCH-CACHE NATIONAL FOREST, UT Backcountry pi

MAKES 2 SERVINGS 2 medium apples, such as Pink Lady, Fuji, or Honeycrisp1 Tbsp. lemon juice2 Tbsp. brown sugar1 tsp. ground cinnamon¼ tsp. ground cloves⅓ cup granola¼ cup chopped nuts, such as walnuts, pecans, or hazelnuts 1 Slice the apples to a qua

Our testers weathered alpine gusts, freak downpours, and rough granite slabs to find the very best softshells. Eight jackets rose to the top. Taking your little one on their first backpacking trip? We’ve got the essentials for a drama-free adventure.

Discover the secret to restaurant-worthy camp meals. Identify five wild mushrooms, learn to read a river, and improve your mobility. ■